Panel Ponders Path to Civility Following Presidential Election

If Catholics have a role in helping heal divisions after a turbulent presidential election year, they may need to start looking inward, according to some panelists at a Nov. 1 forum at The Catholic University of America on "Citizenship and Civility: The Role of Catholics in Rebuilding the American Political Culture."

And in Stephen Schneck's view, perhaps civility ought not be on the agenda.

"Conflict is a part of political life. It's always been a part of political life," said Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at Catholic University and an associate professor of politics there. ...

Chad Pecknold, a Catholic University associate professor of systematic theology, said he was reminded of the late educator and social critic Neil Postman, who 30 years ago wrote "Amusing Ourselves to Death," which Pecknold said gives an apt analogy for the presidential campaign. "It's not about the state taking over, but the citizenry giving up and giving in to entertainment," he added. "We're all suffering from political exhaustion ... yet we're tuning in by the millions to inane debates." ...

Moving Forward With Love

"Believe it or not, this election season may actually be on the brink of ending — though that’s certainly a somewhat optimistic prediction. Regardless, this is an election that demands something different going forward. Most of us, it’s probably fair to say, are voting against rather than for someone — even voting against two someones. So let’s do something good for America and think about getting better.

During the fall in Washington, D.C., I led a few conversations on virtue sponsored by the National Review Institute, the Catholic Information Center and the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at my alma mater, the Catholic University of America. An election discussion just a week before voting day included counsel for voters to move beyond themselves. Humility became the takeaway word..."